LexisNexis ASPIRE Program for Deferred Law Firm Hires and Law Students Engaged in Public Interest Work

Web Access for Policy, Political and Human Rights Jobs

Access the BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank

Password Protected Sites Now Available on Symplicity

Law Bulletin Weekly On-line Employment Bulletin

Career Advisor Network

International Career Employment Weekly Online

PSLawNet Fellowship Corner

PSLawNet

CSO Information & Announcements

Welcome 1Ls!

Welcome to your first year at Chicago-Kent! We look forward to assisting you in reaching your career goals. According to guidelines adopted by the National Association of Legal Professionals (NALP), to which Chicago-Kent College of Law, as well as all other ABA-accredited law schools subscribe, 1Ls can not come into the career services office until November 1st and cannot send resumes out until December 1st. However, there are still many things you can do to to start planning for your future career. Attend the many informational panels and career development workshops the CSO offers during the fall semester to start considering your career interests and options. Check our Record page often for updated information on upcoming programs. Also, research various career paths and talk to attorneys and upperclassmen to come up with a list of pratice areas and practice settings that interest you. Give some real thought to what brought you to law school. Finally, attend the mandatory orientation and resume and cover letter writing workshops in October to learn how to prepare the materials you'll need for your job search.

We hope you have a great first semester, and look forward to seeing you in November!

Mandatory Meetings for Rising 2Ls and 3Ls

Each rising 2L and 3L student is required to meet with his or her assigned career adviser by October 15, 2011 for a career strategy appointment. For those of you planning on participating in Fall Recruiting, interested in a federal court clerkship, applying to larger federal government agencies with early deadlines (e.g. the Department of Justice), or considering participation in the fall public interest job fair Equal Justice Works, we strongly recommend that you schedule this meeting sooner rather than later. Given the difficult market it is more important than ever that you work with your career adviser to formulate a comprehensive strategy to accomplish your career goals and if necessary to adjust them to accommodate a longer-term plan for your success. Before attending your career strategy session with your counselor, we recommend conducting some self-analysis regarding the types of law that interest you, the types of settings in which you would like to practice, etc. In addition please plan on bringing your most recent resume with you.

Fall Resume Books Kick Off on August 22nd

Fall Resume Books will be available on Monday, August 22nd for “opt-in” for all rising 2Ls, 3Ls and Recent Graduates (2010 and 2011 classes). Employers will be notified that resume books are available on September 2nd, but as employers may request a resume book at any time, students are encouraged to opt-in to desired resume books as soon as possible. Even if you have secured employment for this fall, keep in mind that fall resume books may be used by employers for hiring for Spring or Summer 2012.

As a reminder, a Resume Book is exactly what it sounds like, a collection of resumes that can be distributed to employers on request. Our resume books will collect the resumes of students and recent graduates in a particular class (e.g. 2Ls) with similar interests (e.g. immigration law, real estate law, or working in the northern suburbs), and then notify employers who fit those criteria that the books are available for review. These books can also be used when an employer calls up our office looking for a particular type of student to clerk for them (“We are looking for a 3L interested in litigation who has worked as a 711 clerk.”), so that we can respond quickly and efficiently to employer requests (in that case by looking at the 3L Litigation Resume Book for students who have been 711 clerks).

CSO Closing at noon on Thursday, August 18th, All Day Friday, August 19th

The Career Services Office will close at noon on Thursday, August 18th, and will remain closed through Friday, August 19th, for processing of fall recruiting materials. Career advisers will not be available for counseling appointments on these days. Time permitting advisers may reply to telephone and email inquiries, but responses will probably experience longer than normal delays. We appreciate your patience.

Listserv Registration and Testing

We recently tested the various Career Services listservs. If you have signed up for a listserv and did not receive a “test” email for that listserv, please contact Kentcso@kentlaw.edu to let us know that you were erroneously omitted from that listserv.

If you receive an email from a listserv that you no longer want to be included on, please also email Kentcso@kentlaw.edu noting which listserv(s) you wish to be removed from.

Finally, if you have not yet submitted a listserv registration form, you can complete this form and email it back to mschmitt@kentlaw.edu, fax it to 312-906-5171 or drop it off in the Career Services Office.

These listservs will be used to distribute career services information, so quick registration will ensure that you do not miss any important information.

CSO Program Videos Now Available Online!

The Career Services Office is pleased to announce that videos of our programming are now available to be viewed online. Most of our programming will be available on our website within 1-2 days of the original program date and will remain available for viewing for 2-3 weeks, due to limited server space. Program videotapes will still be available in our office. A password is required to view these programs. Please call our office at 312-906-5200 or email kentcso@kentlaw.edu for the username and password. To watch videos of our programming, go to the CSO's web page, click on the right hand navigation bar "For Students" and select "Watch Program Videos." Or, click here to be taken directly to the page.

On-Campus Interviews

Bidding ends at NOON on Thursday, August 18th

All bids must be placed and required documents uploaded to Symplicity, and all hard copy materials must be turned in to the Career Services Office no later than noon next Thursday, August 18th. Required hard copy materials include:

Within 10%: A list of OCI employers you are interested in submitting a resume to but whose hiring criteria you fall within 10% of. Please include your name, GPA and Class Rank at the top of the list. For each employer on the list, you must print out a copy of your resume (it doesn't need to be on resume paper) and write the name of the employer on the back of the resume. We will forward these resumes to the employers and encourage them to either add students to their schedule or contact students directly, if interested in setting up an interview.

We cannot accept late materials as scheduling will be done soon after forms are submitted.

Early Deadlines for Several Fall Recruiting Employers

Early Employer Deadlines
Three resume collect employers have requested materials in advance of the August 18th deadline. They are:

Ungaretti & Harris (Chicago, IL): Materials due August 14th

Reed Smith (Chicago, IL): Materials due August 15th

Warner, Norcross & Judd (Grand Rapids, MI): Materials due August 16th

Students interested in these employers must have bids placed and documents uploaded to Symplicity by NOON on the respective deadlines.

If you have any questions regarding these deadlines, contact you assigned career counselor or email kentcso@kentlaw.edu

Important Fall Recruiting Dates

August 1, 2011 at Noon and 5:00 pm in Room 590: Mandatory Fall Recruiting Program will be held in room 590to provide information on program registration requirements, how to bid on employers, and additional information and updates in regards to the Fall Recruiting program. If you are planning to participate in Fall Recruiting, you must attend one of these sessions or complete the make-up procedures.

August 1, 2011: The Symplicity bidding system will be open for student bid entry.

August 5, 2011 Fall Recruiting resume reviews end at noon. All resumes must be reviewed by your career adviser and uploaded into Symplicity by this time. (Please note that this date is an extension of the original July 29 deadline)

August 18 at Noon: Deadline for Fall Recruiting Program computer bidding, submission of resumes (and uploading of resumes), and other required materials to the CSO. The CSO will close at noon on August 18th.

August 22-24, 2011: Mock Interviews will be available on certain dates from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm for those who wish to brush up on their interviewing technique. Interview slots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please check your email for announcements on sign-ups for mock interviews

August 29, 2011: On-Campus Interviews begin.

Make-up Procedures for Madatory August 1 Fall Recruiting Program

If you wish to participate in Fall Recruiting but were unable to attend the mandatory Fall Recruiting program held on August 1, you must follow the steps outlined below. Please note that this program is mandatory for any student wishing to participate in Fall Recruiting who did not attend the bidding program in July 2010.

1) Watch the video of the August 1 Fall Recruiting Program. Click here to be taken to the Program & Videos page.

2) Review the handouts from yesterday's program. Please note the hard copy sumbission materials that will be due to the Career Services Office by noon on August 18, 2011.

Mock Interviews for Fall Recruiting - Sign Ups Now Available Online

Prepare for Fall Recruiting with a Mock Interview! Interviews will be held in the Career Services Office on Monday, August 23rd; Tuesday, August 24th; and Thursday, August 25th. Each mock interview will last 30 minutes. Please note that the mock interviews will be held during the first week of classes, so be sure to cross-check your sign-up with your class schedule.

To sign up, visit the Career Services MySignUp website. Select your desired time, and enter the requested information. Note: The “Undo Code” you are asked to enter serves as your password for the sight, and is the only way to make any changes to your mock interview schedule. Once you have selected a mock interview time, please submit a copy of your current resume to kentcso@kentlaw.edu. Include your name and mock interview date and time in the subject of the email. Contact mschmitt@kentlaw.edu if you have any questions.

Don't Forget to Report Callbacks and Offers!

If you receive callbacks/offers during the fall interview season, please report this to our office by sending an email to kentcso@kentlaw.edu every couple weeks or so. Please include from what source you obtained the interview/offer (OCI, resume collect, CCBA job fair, Loyola Patent Fair, etc.). We keep track of these in order to determine how students are doing and where our students end up working during the summer/after graduation. Also, if you have any concerns about how your interviews are progressing or questions about the interview process, please make an appointment to talk with a career counselor.

Programming

Video on Managing a Legal Career Transition in Tough Times

As a public service, NALP and ALI-ABA are pleased to offer Managing a Legal Career Transition in Tough Times — a 75-minute presentation by Marcia Pennington Shannon and Susan G. Manch of Shannon & Manch LLP, who generously donated their time and talent to this special project to assist lawyers and 3Ls who are currently seeking employment.

Employment Opportunities

Equal Justice Works Public Defender Corps - Applications Now Open

Equal Justice Works and the Southern Public Defender Training Center are pleased to announce that the application for the 2012 Public Defender Corps program opened on Monday, August 15. Applications must be completed online and submitted along with a résumé and two letters of recommendation by 5pm EDT on Friday, September 16, 2011. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Approximately 14 fellowships will be available in 2012 and we anticipate the competition will be fierce. Exact host site locations for the 2012 Public Defender Corps Fellowships will be posted on the Equal Justice Works website on a rolling basis. Applicants who advance to the final round of review will be able to rank their host site preferences.
Application instructions, frequently asked questions and general information about Public Defender Corps are available on the Equal Justice Works and the Southern Public Defender Training Center websites.

AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee - Minority Outreach Program

The AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee created the LCC Minority Outreach Program to encourage diverse law students to apply for summer clerkship opportunities at LCC law firms and legal departments. The outreach program seeks to introduce diverse law students to the practice of law in the labor movement and to encourage them to join the ranks of union-side attorneys in the ongoing battle for social and economic justice.

The program includes a networking conference, at the conclusion of which, students are placed in the LCC Mentor Program. Through this program LCC attorneys provide guidance and support during and after the students' clerkships. Students interested in applying at a law firm or legal department should apply directly to the employer. Click here for a listing of participating employers. To learn more about the program and the networking conference, please click here and here.

Fellowships & Scholarships

Sidley Austin Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship

Through the leadership of its Diversity Committee and Committee on Retention and Promotion of Women, Sidley aspires to make sustainable progress in its journey toward becoming a more diverse organization. To further promote diversity within the legal profession and within the firm, Sidley offers a Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship Initiative for Second Year Law Students. Sidley will grant a $15,000 Sidley Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship to a limited number of deserving second year law students who join Sidley’s summer program.

Preference will be given to students at schools where Sidley conducts on-campus interviews (OCI) or participates in a resume collection. Students should have demonstrated academic achievement and leadership qualities as well as a demonstrated ability to contribute meaningfully to the diversity of the law school and/or legal profession.

How to Apply:

Sidley encourages students at those schools where it conducts OCI to apply before interview season and to sign up for an on-campus interview. Students attending other law schools are also encouraged to apply early. Applicants must apply for the scholarship and separately apply for a summer associate position.

For additional information about the scholarship, eligibility requirements, and an application form, please click here. Interested applicants should submit an application form, including resume, official transcript, legal writing sample, and personal statement to Jenny Connelly at scholarship@sidley.com or at

Sidley Austin LLP
One South Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60603

Job Fairs

Registration Now Open for the Hispanic National Bar Association Career Fair and Convention

On Friday, September 2, 2011, the HNBA will host its annual Career Fair, the largest Latino Career fair for legal professionals in the country. The HNBA Career Fair provides law students, young and seasoned attorneys and Convention attendees with a tremendous opportunity to meet and network with other leading Latino attorneys from across the country. The Career Fair also plays host to a symposium designed to help law students enhance their marketing skills for the tough legal Career market. Annual Convention registration will open soon. Full Conference fee includes Career Fair.

Law Student Early Registration $200.00 (Includes Thursday evening reception, Friday Career Fair and evening reception, Saturday Law Student program and gala.)

Attorney Career Fair Early Registration $225.00 (Includes events taking place on Friday, September 2, 2011 only.

Complete and submit a registration form (available here) via email to events@hnba.com or via fax 202.223.2324. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to upload your cover letter and resume for employer review.

Registration Now Open for LGBT Bar Association Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair

Each year the National LGBT Bar Association hosts the Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair to bring together the best and brightest legal minds in the LGBT community. The three-day conference draws over 1,200 attendees and features over 35 workshops and panel discussions. The career fair, held on the first day of the conference draws over 500 students and features over 130 recruiters.

To learn more about the conference and career fair and to register, please click here. Early registration ends on August 1, 2011 and the online registration deadline is August 15, 2011. The registration fee for law student members is $95 and $160 for non-member students.

Registration Now Open for LGBT Bar Association Lavender Law Conference and Career Fair

AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee - Minority Outreach Program

Resources

Updated Vermont Guide to State Judicial Clerships

The Vermont 2012 Guide to State Judicial Clerkship Procedures is now available and may be accessed online. For username and password information, please log onto Symplicity, click on the "Documents" tab, and then click on "Document Library."

2011-2012 Government Honors and Internship Handbook

The 2011-2012 Government Honors & Internship Handbook is now available and may be accessed online. For username and password information, please log onto Symplicity, click on the "Documents" tab, and then click on "Document Library."

LexisNexis ASPIRE Program For Law Students &
Deferred Law Firm Hires

Since summer is drawing near, we want to make you aware of ASPIRE, a program for students who pursue public interest work during the summer or after they graduate from law school. LexisNexis, your partner in legal education, provides qualified law students and recent law school graduates with free access to some of the most popular sources available within our research system. Students face a heightened challenge securing internships and launching their legal careers in a tough economy. For this reason, LexisNexis has expanded the ASPIRE program to include non-profit summer positions for current students, as well as graduates who pursue public interest legal work as a career. You may learn details of the program on the ASPIRE information page.

Password Protected Sites Now Available through Symplicity

The Federal Government Honors & Internship Handbook;
The Vermont Guide to State Judicial Clerkships;
The BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank; and

The Four or More List of Chicago Employers

Log into Symplicity and select the “Documents” tab. Within Documents, select “Document Library.” The links for the sites listed above will be listed there. Clicking on each link will take you to a page with a username and password, which you should write down before clicking the link on the page. If you have any difficulties accessing Symplicity or the individual sites, please contact the Career Services Office by emailing kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

Access the BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank

Kent students and alumni now have an additional resource for their job searches. The BYU Intercollegiate Job Bank compiles entry level job postings from schools throughout the country. This resource will be especially useful for students and alumni conducting an out-of-town job search, but through this service you can also access the postings of other Illinois and Chicago area schools. To access this resource, log into Symplicity and select the “Documents” tab. Within Documents, select “Document Library.” The link for the Job Bank will be listed there. Clicking on the link will take you to a page with a username and password, which you should write down before clicking the link. The link takes you to the BYU Alumni page, and the Job Bank is about halfway down the page. After clicking that link you will be prompted to enter the user name and password. Then you will have access to a drop list of all 50 states. Picking a state will give you access to the job postings from the schools in that state. If you have any difficulties accessing the Job Bank, please contact the Career Services Office by emailing kentcso@kentlaw.edu.

Law Bulletin Weekly On-line Employment Bulletin

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin is now offering a free on-line Legal Employment Weekly e-blast of open jobs in the Chicago area. Every issue contains up-to-date job postings, an article and sign-up sheet from the Illinois Paralegal Association, and an Ask an Expert column. You can view each week's installment at http://jobs.lawbulletin.com/ELEW.pdf or you can sign up to receive the "E-LEW" in your own inbox. To receive the weekly email, go to http://jobs.lawbulletin.com and select the "E-LEW" tab at the top of the page. At the bottom of the page, click on the link and complete the resulting form.

Career Advisor Network

In an effort to help you connect with a strong network of Chicago-Kent alumni, the Office of Alumni Relations and Office of Career Services are happy to announce a new Alumni Career Advisor Network.Alumni from around the world are available to discuss issues such as practice trends, legal markets in specific geographic areas, and other career-related topics. This is an excellent opportunity to start building your personal network with Chicago-Kent alumni!To search for an Alumni Career Advisor, all you have to do is log-in to the Chicago-Kent Alumni Online Community:First Time Login Instructions:

Go to www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/firstlogin In the Constituent ID field, enter your Banner CWID.To find your Banner CWID login to http://my.iit.edu. Once you are logged, on the right side of your screen you should see a box called IIT Personal ID numbers. The Banner CWID is the number beginning with “A.”

In the Class Year Field:

If you are an LLM student, enter LLM If you are a Visiting student, enter LV

If you are a JD student your Class Year will be three characters. The first letter for all class years will be L. The second letter is your division. The third is your year number. Examples: A 2nd year night student’s class year is LN2. A 1st year day student’s class year is LD1.

During your first time login you will create a username and password. Afterwards, you may log in directly at www.alumni.kentlaw.edu/advisorsearch using the username and password you created. If you need assistance with your first time login, please contact Celeste Addyman in the Office of Career Services at kentcso@kentlaw.edu or visit her in Suite 360.

International Career Employment Weekly Online

International Career Employment Weekly's goal is to make it easy for international professionals to keep abreast of all current job opportunities in their field. They collect information on current international job openings with governments, government contractors, United Nations agencies and other intergovernmental organizations, private voluntary organizations working overseas, corporations involved in international trade and finance, engineering firms, associations, foundations, student exchange organizations, universities, and state governments and present that information to job seekers in a clear and concise format. The Career Services Office subscribes to this resource in an online format. Contact kentcso@kentlaw.edu for the username and password.

PSLawNet

PSLawNet is a premier resource for career-related information in legal and law-related public interest work. Students and alumni from over 170 law schools search our site every day to find internships, fellowships, pro bono opportunities, and jobs in public service. Chicago-Kent College of Law is a member school, therefore you have unlimited access to search the database for FREE. The PSLawNet website is filled with useful resources for public interest-minded law students and graduates, as well as those who may simply be exploring their options. Students can access PSLawNet here: PSLawNet home page. On the home page, click on "sign-up now" to create an account using your email address and your own password. List Chicago-Kent College of Law as your school.

PSLawNet Fellowship Corner

Interested in pursuing a fellowship upon graduation? Then be sure to check out PSLawNet's new "Fellowship Corner" which includes the full text of Yale's Fellowship Application Tips for 2002-2003, along with the expanded Appendix listing print and online fellowship resources. The site also contains a Fellowship Calendar with a chronological listing of application deadlines--a big help for potential applicants in planning and preparing their materials. Visit the Fellowship Corner at: http://pslawnet.org/postgraduatefellowships

Free Membership to the Legal Balance

The Legal Balance, an exclusive online community for women attorneys in Chicago, is offering a free one-year membership to Chicago-Kent students. The Legal Balance offers women attorney-specific benefits tailored to help you succeed, including: access to member-only networking events, an extensive resource library, weekly email digests, and inside information from a community of successful female attorneys. To request your free membership, email thelegalbalance@thelegalbalance.com and mention that you are a Chicago-Kent student.